Nightbird

mavuser

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I've said it before and I'll say it again... I like those split-diamond inlays!

sailingshoes

interesting that you call those "split-diamonds." i always thought it was a "nightbird" in the inlay (in flight). they definitely look killer!
 

rampside

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As all Guild aficionados know, the TRC shape mimics the headstock shape. Now on the original Guild paddle shaped "Crown" headstock the TRC should have the widest end up to match the headstock. But, on the Gruhn "snakehead model, is it more correct to have the narrow end up and therefore now matching the shape of the headstock?

I was thinking that very thing the other day when I removed the the TRC (apparently the first time it had ever been off) on my GV-70. I was very tempted to re-install it to match the "snakehead" because it looked good that way.
 

walrus

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My D64 has both the snakehead headstock and the diamond inlays - truss rod coverhas (and should have) the narrow end down!

And on the Nightbird, like any guitar with writing on the TRC, you really want the writing to match up with the "direction" of the guitar, i.e., the audience should be able to read the script right-side up.

walrus
 

GAD

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interesting that you call those "split-diamonds." i always thought it was a "nightbird" in the inlay (in flight). they definitely look killer!

They're a Gruhn thing.

Here's the neck on a D66 (https://reverb.com/item/318595-guild-d-66nt-1984-natural-gruhn-co-designed)

atpmyxetcc9ctwxotixk.jpg
 

sailingshoes72

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interesting that you call those "split-diamonds." i always thought it was a "nightbird" in the inlay (in flight). they definitely look killer!

I have always thought that the "slotted-diamond" inlays (ref. post # 25) were a subtle acknowledgement by George Gruhn of the Epiphone influence on Guild guitars.

https://reverb.com/item/1183807-epiphone-triumph-1946

He certainly would have been aware of the Triumph archtops from the 1930's and 40's. But since you point it out... I like the idea of a "nightbird" in flight!

Bill
 

walrus

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Easy solution to all this TRC angst: play the guitar left-handed!!

Problem solved. :biggrin-new:

walrus
 

sailingshoes72

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The correct designation for those inlays is 'slotted diamonds'; split diamonds would imply a more than a 1-piece inlay!

Now we need to come up with a word or phrase to describe these inlays:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUILD-D-100...156998?hash=item41bcf6ad06:g:5s8AAOSwImRYZw0J

The description... "crown inlays", "cloud inlays" and "hump-block inlays" appears to already be taken by other models and brands. On some frets it reminds me of a Cathedral and on others the Pentagon. I know that on the first few frets it shadows the outline of the Guild headstock, but that is stretched a little thin (literally) toward the upper registers. Any ideas?

sailingshoes
 
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chazmo

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Bill, I'm pretty sure we've called them "cloud" inlays in the D-100 fretboards in the past, but I too love GAD's "Little Alamos" suggestion! Maybe we should add that to the acronym FAQ, even if no one knows what we're talking about. :)
 

hansmoust

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Now we need to come up with a word or phrase to describe these inlays:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUILD-D-100...156998?hash=item41bcf6ad06:g:5s8AAOSwImRYZw0J

The description... "crown inlays", "cloud inlays" and "hump-block inlays" appears to already be taken by other models and brands. On some frets it reminds me of a Cathedral and on others the Pentagon. I know that on the first few frets it shadows the outline of the Guild headstock, but that is stretched a little thin (literally) toward the upper registers. Any ideas?

sailingshoes

While I was working on 'The Guild Guitar Book' during the '90s I needed to come up with a name for the headstock shape that Guild came out with during 1962. Before that the 'Gibsonesque' headstock shape had been referred to as the 'open book' or 'lip top' style, but it wasn't easy to come up with something that had the same visual description. While walking around in my favorite neighborhood area, I came up with the idea of the 'headstone' or 'tombstone' headstock after seeing quite a few of these:

Headstone_1.jpg


Since 'headstone' headstock didn't sound right I thought that 'tombstone' headstock could be a good choice .....

until I noticed this:

Headstone_2.jpg


So that was the end of the 'tombstone' headstock name and eventually I went for the 'center raised' design as opposed to the earlier 'center dip' style.

But now that you're looking for an original name for the inlays on the D-70/D-80/D-100 models, what do you think of 'tombstone' inlays?

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 

walrus

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Great story, Hans! "Tombstone" inlays sound good to me!

walrus
 

GAD

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Hans, I love how you delivered that story and I laughed out loud when I saw the Gibsonesque tombstone.

It seems to me that the inlays are actually the top bit of the headstock so maybe "headstock inlays"?

I do like the sound of "tombstone inlay", though.
 
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